Nassau County · colonial

Home inspector in Lawrence, NY

In 2017, Lou Rubino inspected one home in Lawrence — one job, one written report, and the photographs below come from it. The report describes a colonial.

Rated 4.9 on Google as of November 2026 · U.S. Army veteran owned · NY licence #16000039568 · 516-330-3870

What the Lawrence report found

The report, as Lou wrote it up.

2017, a colonial: 12 items flagged: 5 roof, chimney and attic; 4 exterior; 1 garage. As recorded: hip roof, 3-tab fiberglass, cedar and asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: walked, framed with 2 x 6 rafters; attic: scuttle hole in closet and no storage, soffit vents and windows ventilation; brick full brick siding, chimney: brick; masonry block foundation, 2 x 8 and 6" x 8" main beam floor framing, steel lally columns; steam boiler heat on gas, 40 gallon (1-2 people) gas (quick recovery) water heater (basement and utility room); 100-amp circuit breakers (Murray), romex wiring, copper supply pipes, public water; double-hung and single pane windows, hardwood t&g, carpet and tile floors, metal cabinets, laminate counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Three layers of shingle on roof, one cedar shake, two asphalt fiberglass”; “Shingle have lost a lot of mineral on right side and rear”; “No passive vents installed in roof”; “Front windows have been boarded up”; “Air leaks from fascia board front left and right”; “Air leaks from fascia board left side near chimney”; “Air leaks from fascia board right rear”; “Left side middle leader pipe is disconnected and berried in soil”; “Left side rear leader pipes elbow, too short and elbows and splash blocks missing”; “Right side front leader pipe need pipe extension”; “Gutter hanger straps should be under shingle. Never nail into top of shingle”; “Brick work only partially pointed”; “Left rear wall at extension brickwork is protruding near cracked foundation”; “Right side door does not latch”; “Windows are all original, very inefficient”; “Driveway has many cracks and is uneven”; “Front sidewalk is cracked”; “Left sidewalk is pitched toward house”; “Garage floor cracked along same line as wall cracks”; “Sink cabinet door hinge is broken”. Also noted: “Rear bedroom door hits saddle”; “Rear bedroom window lower sash cracked”; “No outlets in dinning room”; “Vinyl tile broken at left side entrance hallway”; “Outlet in mud room next to rear door is hot and neutral reversed”; “Decorative fireplace only non- functional”. On the day: 57°F, cloudy, damp ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces north. Not inspected that day: basement windows. Not present in this house: clothes dryer; clothes dryer vent piping; clothes washer; cooling and air handler equipment; dishwasher; electrical; food waste disposer; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; instant hot water; insulation under floor system; microwave cooking equipment; normal operating controls; presence of installed cooling source in each room; range hood; solid fuel heating devices; trash compactor; vapor retarders; ventilation fans and thermostatic controls.

“Flagged” is HomeGauge’s Repair or Replace mark, not a verdict on the house. See a complete report.

What the inspection can examine here

The roof, chimney and attic — how the roof was observed is stated in the report, as New York requires, and the attic is entered wherever a hatch allows.
Siding, trim, flashing, grading and drainage — where water is being sent, and whether it is being sent at the house.
The heating plant and any central air — operated in normal mode, dated from the data plate, with the flue and clearances looked at where accessible.
Radon — a separate, optional test arranged alongside the inspection.

Photographs from Lawrence reports

Dim attic with a steel post and wood rafters; a red arrow points at daylight showing through near the eave. — Air leaks from the fascia board, seen from the attic on the left side near the chimney and at the right rear. Listed with the roof ventilation pictures.

Basement water meter on a supply pipe along a green-painted wall, labelled — Main water shut-off valve and meter. The same page records a small gas leak at the burner pilot tube; the gas company was notified and gas shut off at the burner.

Both photographs are from Lou's own Lawrence inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.

Buying in Lawrence: the questions with sourced answers

Each answer is built from Lawrence’s own rows in public data — the Census, NYSDOH, NYSDEC, FEMA, the office that holds the permits — or from Lou’s reports, and cites its source. Data retrieved 1 November 2026.

How old are the houses in Lawrence?

Median year built in zip 11559: 1963 (Nassau County: 1955). Of 2,849 units, 21% predates 1940; 20% is from 2000 on. Next come the 1960s at 20% and the 1950s at 14%. An older house is not a worse house, but its wiring, plumbing and roof were installed under different rules and replaced piecemeal, which is what the inspection looks for. (ACS)

How are homes in Lawrence heated? Is an oil tank likely?

70% utility gas, 15% fuel oil or kerosene; fuel oil 15% against 28% county-wide. NYSDEC logs 60 petroleum spills at private homes in Lawrence since 1988, 5 since 2015. 6 were logged in 2012, the year of Hurricane Sandy. A gas conversion can leave a tank behind. An abandoned tank is most likely in a house that was converted from oil. Buried tanks are outside the standards New York sets for a home inspection, so the seller’s answer matters. (ACS, NYSDEC)

Is Lawrence mostly houses or apartments, owned or rented?

66% detached houses, 8% buildings of 50 or more units, 8% two-unit buildings; 75% owner-occupied (Nassau County: 82%). Detached houses dominate, so most inspections here run from the roof to the foundation of one building. (ACS)

Is radon a concern in Lawrence?

Town of Hempstead: 401 basement tests, average 1.22 pCi/L, 11 at 4 or above (3%). Nassau County: 6% of 837. First-floor tests there: 124, average 0.62. On the share at 4 or above, it ranks 4th of the county’s 5 towns and cities. The highest basement reading was 8.3 pCi/L. EPA’s action level is 4 pCi/L, and it advises testing every home whatever the area’s results. Radon testing is optional. (NYSDOH)

Has Lawrence flooded? Is the house in a flood zone?

664 flood-insurance claims from zip 11559 since 1978, most in 2012 (355): 27th of the 189 zips on these pages. A claim count describes the zip, not the house; 2012 was the year of Hurricane Sandy. Flood zones follow the address. Check the address on FEMA’s map. (OpenFEMA)

Who holds the permits and certificate of occupancy in Lawrence?

The Village of Lawrence Building Department. Your attorney usually runs the search. The inspection reports the condition of what is there and flags work that typically needs a permit, such as a finished basement, a dormer or a moved panel, so you know what to ask about.

How does Lawrence compare with the towns around it?

By median year built, fuel-oil share and owner-occupancy: Lawrence (zip 11559) 1963, 15%, 75%; Cedarhurst (zip 11516): built 1953, oil 23%, 70% owner-occupied; Woodmere (zip 11598): built 1954, oil 18%, 88% owner-occupied; Far Rockaway (zip 11691): built 1965, oil 9%, 29% owner-occupied. (ACS)

Which code, water and sewer rules apply in Lawrence?

The New York State Uniform Code, groundwater from 46 public water systems, the county sewer-connection rule and the Article XI heating-oil tank closure program: county-wide, written once. They are the same for every town in Nassau County, so they are set out there with their sources instead of on each page.

How much does a home inspection in Lawrence cost, and how fast is the report?

Lou quotes the actual property, not a flat rate — what drives the price is size, age and what is included. The written report arrives the same day as a rule; a large or complex house can run to the next morning. Call or text 516-330-3870.

Nassau County, town by town

Every Nassau County place with a page here, each with the real count from Lou's records. The Nassau County page covers the county as a whole.

Where this sits in Lou's territory

Lou covers Long Island, the five boroughs and Westchester from his base in Wantagh, and the archive behind these pages shows where that work has actually concentrated.

Nearby towns Lou has inspected: Cedarhurst · Woodmere · Woodsburgh · Far Rockaway · Hewlett Harbor · Hewlett · all 250 towns.

Buying in Lawrence?

His Lawrence file goes back to 2017. Yours would not be the first.

Schedule an inspection Call 516-330-3870

Not sure yet? Read what New York requires of your inspector or see a real report.